Friday, April 11, 2014

Max Dugan Returns (1983)

I suspect this film will only be known to a select few of my generation, despite it being a Neil Simon comedy. For a kid, I got a kick out of it, especially the renovated house parts. Shot mostly in Venice, I decided to check out some of the prime locations. First up is the dry cleaners where her car is stolen. This area of Venice has been taken over and been gentrified...

Some new drive-by shots....

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Next up is the school where she teaches...

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I recognized this store from one of my previous visits to Venice, some things never change...

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Also in Venice is the Rose Cafe. I didn't go inside, so here's a quick driveby shot...

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Sharpe Field has remained relatively intact. I was shocked that the big gray warehouse seen in some background shots had not been torn down yet...

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And skipping ahead to the end, the driving scene from the final shots were right next to the baseball field...

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Okay, back to the main location, their house in Venice. This was a little trickier to find. From what I could tell, the front was not on the street. So I started from the back alley. Here is Dody Goodman's place seen throughout the film....

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And here is the back of the house, looking kinda shabby...

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In the movie, they park at a large roundabout in the back...

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The front of the house looks nothing like it does in the movie however....